


Rite of Passage

by feministkendra



Category: Fablehaven Series - Brandon Mull
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2020-10-28 09:10:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20776097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feministkendra/pseuds/feministkendra
Summary: Angered after the Battle at Zzyzx, pure evil has been plotting their revenge. With their sights set on Kendra, will she and her family realize the danger that is imminent before it's too late? Or will Kendra answer when darkness calls? [Not following the Dragonwatch plotline, set two years after Zzyzx.]





	1. Perfect Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is the prelude!! This fic will be darker, I will put warnings in the notes before any chapter that should have a warning. I wanted to start posting this around Halloween since it is perfect for this season >:) Muhahaha...enjoy!

“Is everything prepared to move forward?”

“Yes, yes my lord. We made sure only the best would lead the girl down the path of night.”

Abigor smirked as he twirled the small blade in his hand. “Perfect.”

It was silent for a moment before the demon before him spoke again. “M-my lord?”

“What is it now, Qarinah?” he asked disinterestedly, purely humoring her out of boredom. Not much to do but wait until his plan played out anyway.

“How does the fairykind help our situation?” Qarinah asked. “She is a known demon slayer...she slew a previous king to be exact...are we sure she won’t just bring our destruction?”

Sighing, Abigor stood from his throne and stalked to where Qarinah stood. “You’re afraid of a simple young girl?” he brushed a finger down the face of the demon, relishing in the flash of fear in her eyes and how she tensed. “Why, Qarinah. You disappoint me.”

Quick as lightning, he struck her across the face. Not because she deserved it, more because he simply could. 

“I-I’m sorry, my lord.”

“You’re forgiven, I should have expected you to not be wise enough to see the bigger, darker picture.” he strode over to the window of the tower, looking across the unruly waves of the sea before him. 

“You see, this fairykind is the key to getting revenge on the Fairy Queen and her bastardly son. Once we coax her along the path of night and turn her soul black, she will rule by my side as my Queen, and we will throw open the doors to the demon prison and release our brothers and sisters into the world to reap glorious revenge and chaos.”

He paused, savoring the picture of Hell on Earth in his mind. “Yes...she is a demon slayer, but she will pay for that mistake in judgment don’t you worry. This plan will be just a torturous for her as it will be for her loved ones. When the fairykind girl sees her family turn against her, when they start seeing her as evil, when even her precious prince can’t bear the sight of her, that my dear Qarinah...that’s the art of this plan.”

“Are we sure her family will turn against her? The shadow charmer boy is still welcomed in their midst, for example.”

Waves crashed against sharp rocks, thunder boomed and lightning flashed as Abigor smirked. “A good question. Simply put, we will give them no choice but to see her as she was destined to be...pure, unabashed, evil.”

Miles upon miles away, Kendra Sorenson prepared for a recovery mission with her fellow Knights, blissfully unaware of the impending doom she was walking into.


	2. Run, This Race Is A Prophecy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Run, boy run...they're trying to catch you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer for talk of blood and injury!

Late August air blew through Kendra's hair as she walked along the trail next to Warren, who was currently in the middle of a very funny story.

"So, now I'm standing on the dock of a ship, shirtless, middle of winter in the fucking Atlantic ocean, facing a minotaur whose nipples are way too hard-"

Kendra, Tanu, and a fellow Knight, Than, interrupted him with incredulous laughter. She could hardly believe the story he was telling but at the same time, could fully understand, it was Warren after all. "No! Why?! Why would you take notice of that?!"

"Because I cut them off two minutes later, duh."

That was all Kendra needed to hear before she promptly lost it again, stomach protesting the laughter strongly. She covered her face with her hands, this conversation was so cursed, so, so, hilariously cursed. 

"Dude, why?" Tanu asked, sounding a bit winded from his own laughter.

Warren turned to face him, walking backward for a moment. "I figured you would at least guess. Needed them for a potion."

"Ah, okay, fair."

Kendra didn't know, nor want to know what type of potion required such an ingredient. The group continued on the trail for a few more minutes, a few more light-hearted comments made now and then. All and all, the mood was light.

Much lighter than any previous mission Kendra had been on.

Warren, Tanu, herself and Than had been tasked with venturing into a vault at the base of Mt. Greylock in Massachusetts to retrieve an amulet.

Agad had received a tip that said amulet could thwart all scrying eyes, even ones using the Oculus. He thought it was worth it as he planned to give it to one of the new Eternals as an extra safeguard.

So, Kendra was sent with Warren and Tanu to a very small preserve located on the mountain and were joined by a Knight that lived there to help get past the traps of the vault. She wasn't quite looking foreword to having to descend into a deadly vault, but for some reason, she had a pretty level head about the mission.

"Alright, here we are, the entrance to the vault," Than spoke, coming to stand by a small pond.

There was a silence for a few seconds before Warren spoke up. "Okay, I'll bite...where?"

"We jump in."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, don't worry, you won't even get wet. Legend of this vault is that once you jump into this water you are transported right into the vault. Cannonball!" Than said before quite literally cannonballing into the water.

There wasn't even a splash. In fact, the water barely even rippled. Warren shrugged then jumped in next, followed by Tanu. Kendra took a deep breath and looked around, noticing a raven sitting in one of the trees seemingly watching her, before leaping in after them.

Instantly, she found herself in a short hallway with the others. Before them was a deep red door, assumingly leading to the first trap.

"Okay, everyone ready?" Warren asked, after receiving the affirmatives from them, he carefully opened the door.

The sight before them made Kendra want to leap right back out of the pond.

Knives were flying across the extremely large, hallway like room before them, soaring out of holes in the walls and launching into a matching one on the other side of the room. It reminded her of something very similar.

"Hey, Kens?" Warren called. "You got deja vu?"

"Not the chokepods again."

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly."

The trap reminded her of the chokepods back at Lost Mesa, Warren had guided her through them but they had lost a team member, Neil, in the process. It wasn't a pleasant memory.

"Well, let's get to it I guess," Than sighed.

"Sooner we get through here, the sooner we get through the other traps, get the amulet and out of here." Warren agreed.

They watched as the speed with which the knives were propelled across the room slowed, then stopped altogether. Than started to move forward, but Warren grabbed his arm to stop him. "Just 'cause they stopped doesn't mean they won't start up again." He looked at Tanu and Kendra. "Either of you got a stopwatch?"

"Does it look like I have 'Target' stamped on my forehead?" Kendra countered with a smile.

Warren snorted. "You're fairykind, Kens. Who knows what is tattooed on your forehead."

She held back a laugh. "I don't need to be fairykind to know you look like you should have 'dummy who forgot to pack a stopwatch' written on yours. Why didn't you bring your cell?"

"Why didn't you bring yours? Afraid I'd see all your couple-y selfies with Bracken?"

"Like you don't have a million of you and Vanessa."

Warren stuck his tongue out at her, unable to deny it.

"Can it, you two." Tanu half-chuckled had pulled a small blue stopwatch from his pack. "Always prepared. Best way to track brewing times when I'm experimenting with new ingredients." He looked at the timing. "Going on five minutes."

"That's not enough time to cover that much space," Warren frowned. "Give it another five, just to see…" But he had barely finished speaking before the knives went flying across the room again. "Damn it."

"Five minutes, twenty seconds." Tanu sighed. "We'll have to go one by one, and leave most of the gear here." He watched his stopwatch intently, trying to track how long they had until the knives stopped again. Once they did freeze, he sighed "Fifteen minutes."

"Any gaseous potion on you?" Kendra asked. "Just in case?"

Nodding, Tanu pulled four vials from his potion bag.

"Drink up. Get across as quickly as you can. I'll call out when the time gets close," Tanu handed her one of the small vials, which she drank immediately. As the potion took effect, Kendra took a cautious step forward. "Crap."

Kendra didn't understand why the potions master seemed so surprised, but then she looked down, horrified to discover her body had returned to its solid form.

Without waiting for an explanation, she took off at a run down the long hallway like room, the room seemed to go on forever and by the time she reached the far wall, her lungs were burning and there was a sharp pain in her side.

"Than you next," Warren said. "Go!"

"Two minutes, thirty seconds!" Tanu called. Had she really taken three minutes to cross the room? Looking back to where the others were she surveyed just how long of a run it was, Warren was right, there may not be enough time for all of them to cross in one cycle.

Than bolted across the room, followed closely by Tanu. Kendra tried to keep track of the time in her mind but quickly lost count, her mind too focused on worrying about the others making across the ridiculously long room.

As soon as Than joined Kendra on the safe side, Warren called out asking for a time from Tanu. "You have one minute and forty seconds!"

Kendra thought Warren would opt to stay on the other side and wait until the knives started and stopped again, but he seemed to think he could make it and started running across the room as well. Her heart squeezed in fear, all she could do was hope and pray he actually made it.

Hadn't Kendra herself had taken around three minutes? Sure, she hadn't run at her fastest and Warren had much longer legs than her, but she still held her breath, dreading the moment the knives started to move.

Tanu joined her and Than, out of breath. He turned back towards where Warren was just a little over halfway there. "Forty seconds, hurry!"

Warren sped up, even more, she remembered when Vanessa told her that Warren could possibly outrun a cheetah as a joke, but she could see what Vanessa had meant. Even though she was impressed he could even run as fast as he was, she worried if it would be enough.

"Fifteen seconds, come on you're almost here!" Than called out, his eyes flitting between the stopwatch in Tanu's hand to where Warren had very nearly reached them.

Was there enough time? Kendra resisted the urge to shut her eyes, it felt like she was watching a thriller movie, only this time it was real.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four-

Warren skidded to a halt next to them, using the wall to help stop his momentum. Tanu let out a long exhale, shoulders relaxing. Kendra felt herself being able to breathe again, he had made it.

Thank God.

Out of breath, but smiling, Warren pushed himself off the wall.

"Well! That was easier than I-" his sentence was cut off as a dagger flew from the entryway and lodged itself in his neck. Kendra felt blood splatter across her face, the warm liquid making her flinch ever so slightly.

They all froze. What had just happened?

Warren fell to the ground and that snapped them out of their shocked state. Tanu threw himself to his knees next to Warren, pulling the dagger out quickly but carefully then pressing his hands on the wound, blood pouring out and seeping in between his fingers despite the pressure.

"Shit. Oh, God, I don't feel a pulse, Kendra help me out."

"Me?!" Kendra could barely get her mind to think quick enough to grasp at why in the world Tanu would want her help healing Warren.

"Yes! Bracken mentioned you guys had started working on healing wounds, right?"

"I-I mean, yeah but Tanu, I've only worked on minor cuts and bruises!"

"If there was any moment to just throw all caution to the wind and simply try, now would be the time, K."

Kendra felt lost, frantic and helplessly confused. They had made it through! They had beaten the trap! This wasn't fair!

She sank to her knees on the other side of Warren, gathering all her strength and pulling it foreword along with the energy of her powers she has learned to sense and direct. Warren's neck was a bloody mess, healing him with her inexperience would be a miracle.

But, Warren deserved a miracle. He pulled them all the time to keep her safe and alive, now she was determined to pay back the favor.

"Please work, please work, please work…" she whispered to herself as she placed a hand on either side of Warren's neck. Suddenly, she sensed her powers roar to life, she could practically feel the energy coursing through her veins.

When she started to feel Warren's flesh begin to heal she nearly cried with relief, but she had to remain focused, her strength was fading, and fast. In the back of her mind, she knew she was pushing her powers far past any limit she had. It felt different from healing the minor injuries she had worked on previously.

More frantic. Almost...dangerously powerful. She realized her own emotions may be pushing these powers past her limit. She closed her eyes and continued to push her powers foreword, even as her breath started to quicken and she began to feel more and more lightheaded.

Heal him, heal him, please, heal him.

Then, she felt a hand on hers. Kendra opened her eyes and to her relief, the hand belonged to Warren, who was now conscious and staring up at her. "Kendra, stop. I'm okay now, you can stop."

She realized then that she was still trying to heal him even though there was no more wound. Exhausted, she removed her blood-stained hands from his neck and sat back, trying to catch her breath and calm herself down.

"Holy shit...he's alive?!" Than gasped as Warren sat up.

"Don't sound so happy about it, Than," Warren threw back jokingly.

Tanu looked between Kendra and Warren. "Dude, you almost died...I...Kendra, don't take this the wrong way, but...I really thought you were a goner this time. You had no pulse, you lost so much blood, your artery was shredded."

Warren scooted over to where Kendra was leaning against the wall from her place on the ground. "Well, when traps cheat like that, shit happens. Good thing we have this one huh?"

He nudged her shoulder with his, but Kendra couldn't get rid of this awful feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Kid? You okay?"

"I...I don't know. I have a bad feeling, I don't know how to explain it."

Tanu handed her a water bottle. "You probably just over-exerted yourself, hun. Not that I blame you, I did kinda put the pressure on you."

Kendra drank a bit of water, the past three minutes felt like they had lasted hours. She was grateful for a moment of rest along with Warren combing a soothing hand through her hair. She truly felt drained of her energy and worried there would be repercussions to pushing herself past her limit.

"Take your time. I think we all need a break," she heard Than assure her. The fact that Warren had almost just lost his life hit her hard. She couldn't help think of what would have happened had she not been able to heal him.

Trying her best not to cry she tucked herself into Warren's side, letting him place an arm around her. She could hear his heartbeat and focused on that to remind herself that he was alive. He was healed. He was safe now.

"I'm okay, all thanks to you, alright? Try to take some deep breaths and relax, you're shaking like a leaf in a hurricane," Warren whispered in her ear. She honestly felt out of it, reeling from the traumatic situation coupled from the over-exertion of her powers.

Eventually, she felt level headed enough to continue and pulled back from Warren. After assuring the others around fifteen times that she was sure she was okay and that they should continue, they finally believed her and gathered their things and began down the hallway leading to the next trap.

Warren took her hand and squeezed it tightly as they walked behind Tanu and Than. "Thanks, kid. I owe you one."

"No. No, you don't," she answered softly. "I owed you a million for all the times you protected or saved me, right?"

"I think we are more than even now, Kens. How about we both stay out of danger for a while after today?"

"That sounds like the best plan ever."

____________________________________________________________________________________

"Ready for round two, y'all?" Than asked as they walked up to yet another red door.

"No, but let's go anyway," Tanu muttered. Opening the door, the group stood back and surveyed the room in front of them.

About thirty different pedestals were strewn about the room. Some had switches on them, some had elaborate patterns on them, others were nothing but a simple looking stone pedestal.

"Keep your guard up, who knows what this means," Warren warned before entering the room, carefully inspecting the nearest pedestal.

Kendra followed suit, walking down an aisle of pedestals. Some made of marbled white stone, others a deep black granite that shone with glossiness. Others seemed more futuristic, made of some type of metal with spiked archways forming over the table of the pedestal. There were even a few she was sure were made out of gemstones, rose quartz and amethyst like stone the most common, but she noticed others like gleaming opal or even a few blue goldstone pedestals, glittering in the light from the sunstones on the ceiling of the room.

Nothing happened for a minute or so, until suddenly, as Kendra passed one of the pedestals, a deep red polished one, her hand was pulled towards it by an unseen force.

Then, as her hand was slammed down in the middle of the pedestal, a thick needle shot up and pierced her hand. Crying out, she tried to take her hand off of the needle but it was no use.

She heard the others racing towards her as blood started to drain from the needle in her hand into a maze of divets in the pedestals workings.

"Shit, can you get your hand free?" Than asked, having reached her first, he placed one hand on her back the other took hold of her wrist, trying to pry her hand off with gentle force.

"No, something pulled it onto the needle and now it's stuck!" she tried to keep her tears at bay, her hand really hurt and she felt fear start to grip her. Warren and Tanu reached them, both trying to find something to stop the needle from draining her blood.

"What the hell?! What is happening?" Tanu growled, hands frantically searching the pedestal for anything that would release her hand.

"Guys, look!" Than said, pointing to the far wall. There, in glowing letters, was a simple but bone-chilling phrase.

Find the right switch, or the girl will die cold.

No words were spoken as the other three ran around, finding every pedestal with a switch and flipping it, no caution used.

"This is so fucked up!" she heard Warren curse as he pressed every switch he could find. Kendra had to agree, what kind of trap was this? All they had to do was find a switch to release her hand before she bled out?

What if they press a switch in their desperate attempts to save her that activates an avalanche, or the appearance of some monster? She almost wanted to tell them to slow down and be more cautious, not wanting to be the reason they all died, but the feeling of her blood quickly draining refrained her from doing so.

"Come on! There has to be like a thousand switches! How in the world are we supposed to find the right one in time! This isn't a trap it's a death sentence!" Than sounded properly offended by the trap, propelling himself to the next nearest pedestal and throwing a switch.

There had to be a trick. Than was right, it would be impossible to press all the switches before she bled out, even if they had more people with them.

Warren came into her view, pressing every switch he could see in the row of pedestals in front of her. Once he finished, he ran over to her.

"How are you holding up?" he asked. She could tell he was trying to hide how freaked out he was.

"I...I'm getting weaker," she panted, breath didn't come easy anymore, she felt as if she was the one running around. "Warr, there has to be...a trick...maybe the switch isn't...on a pedestal."

Warren's eyes lit up. "You're a genius, K."

He shouted the idea to the others, taking off and searching the nearest wall. She assumed the others did the same.

Kendra felt herself growing more and more light-headed. She was losing too much blood, she knew it. Any energy Kendra had regained had been quickly lost, her vision swam and she fell to her knees, hand still stuck on the needle.

"Hang in there, Kendra!" she heard Tanu shout from somewhere to her left. It was getting harder and harder to focus, her mind was getting as cloudy as her vision.

Tears slipped down her face, she was so tired, her hand throbbed horribly, and her breathing was getting more shallow by the second.

Was this how it was going to end?

It was so unfair, the trap was unfair. Just like the last one. These traps are meant to be survivable, but it seemed like the vault was doing it's best to play dirty and kill them off.

She could hear Warren cursing, the search must not be going well. Kendra fought to stay conscious, never had it been so hard to keep her eyes open. If she died, she just hoped the others would make it out...she hoped they knew she had tried her best to stay awake and alive...

Just as she thought she was going to pass out, and she was convinced this was going to be the end of her life, the needle retracted and her hand was released. Without the force keeping her up, she collapsed onto her side. Footsteps raced towards her. She felt hands on her shoulders, rolling her onto her back gently and shaking her a little.

"Common, Kens. Please don't be dead."

"Mm'not," she mumbled. The hands stopped shaking her and she heard a sigh of relief.

Her head was pounding, she couldn't even summon the energy to open her eyes just yet. Deciding the best thing to do was rest for a moment, Kendra allowed herself to drift in and out of consciousness. Vaguely she could feel someone holding her hand, another taking her pulse on her neck.

Opening her eyes, she saw it was Tanu tightly clutching her hand and Warren taking her pulse. Upon seeing her eyes open, Tanu released her hand and reached into his potions satchel, pulling out a purple bottle.

"Here, take this sweetie. Energy potion. You need it," he said, handing it to her. With a little help from Warren, she sat up and drank the potion. It acted like a slap to the face and a good night's rest at the same time, almost all signs of fatigue were gone.

"What happened?" she asked, still a bit groggy even with the potion. She had still lost a lot of blood after all.

Warren sighed. "You were right, the switch was hidden along the wall just barely out of eyesight, and if I had been a few inches shorter, out of reach. Whoever made these traps was a sick son of a bitch, that's for sure."

She agreed wholeheartedly.

"Do you need anything?" Than asked. "Water? Something to eat?"

"Can we please be done with this vault?" she groaned, earning a bitter laugh from the others.

"If we are lucky we just have one more to go, darling. You ready?" Warren said as he stood, extended a hand and helped pull her to her feet.

"Don't really have a choice do I?"

With that, they were off down another hallway. Kendra couldn't help but wonder what that last trap was all about. It seemed too easy. After a few minutes of pondering, Kendra decided it didn't matter anyway, they had gotten through.

Walking up to the last red door, she felt wary of what was behind it. What horror could be waiting for them behind it this time?

"Alright, here we go," Tanu said, pushing the door open.

They walked into an empty room, nothing seemed to happen for a few moments before the door slammed shut behind them and an intimidating looking woman stalked out of the shadows across the room from them. Tall, dressed in a deep blood red dress with a crude golden crown upon her head, she reminded Kendra of Torina, if Torina had turned into a dark demon queen.

"Well, well, well. Isn't this a surprise? Welcome to my lair, humans. Now, which one of you is going to be the main course?"


	3. Cannibal Class, Killing The Sun, Bury A Friend, Try To Wake Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kendra is backed into a corner, with no other choice but to bite the...bullet?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: TALK OF BLOOD, INJURY, AND GORE. PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION.

"Who are you?" Warren asked, drawing the sword at his hip for the first time the whole mission.

The woman chuckled darkly. "You come into my domain, and dare ask who I am? You can put the sword away, it won't help you."

Warren didn't move.

"Fine. So be it. I am Liera. I am the guardian of this vault. Now, who are you? What is your business here?"

Tanu took a small step foreword. "We are here on request from Agad the wizard. We seek an amulet that hides the wearer from prying eyes."

Liera tilted her head to the side. "Are you now? Well then, to pass me you must prove your dedication to completing your task. Succeed, and you will claim what you seek. Fail, and you will perish."

"What do we need to do?" Than asked, sounding scared of the answer.

Kendra felt a chill run down her spine as Liera's eyes locked on her. The woman tutted, shaking her head. "You made a grave mistake bringing the child here."

Immediately, Warren stepped closer so that she was partially blocked from Liera. "What do you mean?"

"Sad. The task is that the youngest of your group must consume the human heart of another of your group for secure safe passage to the treasure."

Silence.

Kendra felt sick, she couldn't be serious, there was no way. Not only was the mere thought of having to eat a heart revolting, but the thought of it being one of her companions made it even worse.

"No! There has to be another way! These traps are meant to be survivable, dangerous yes, but survivable. One of us will have to die for this task you preposed and that doesn't fit in with the rules of these vaults. We aren't going to choose someone to die." Than argued.

Liera's eyes flashed to him, sharp and glinting with mischievousness. "Who said you were choosing?"

Then, with a simple flick of her wrist, she sent a dagger flying through the air, appearing out of nowhere, and lodged it deep into Than's neck. It happened faster than anyone could blink. One second, they were debating with Liera, the next, Than was falling to the ground, dead.

Tanu and Warren started to move towards Than but with a second wave of her hand, Liera prevented them from moving.

"Now, my child, take the dagger out of his neck. Or I will kill that one next," Liera extended a finger towards Warren. Kendra couldn't believe how fast this was all happening. "Chop chop!"

Ignoring the protests from Tanu and Warren, Kendra unsteadily walked over to Than, she tried not to look at him. Wrapping a shaking hand around the handle of the dagger she slowly pulled it free from Than's neck.

"That's it. Now, use it to carve out his heart," Liera drawled, clearly enjoying this.

"What?! No! I-I can't!"

"Then say goodbye to your friend."

Another dagger appeared out of nowhere and began flying towards Warren's neck. "No!"

The weapon stopped. A mere centimeter from piercing him.

Liera looked at Kendra pointedly. "Well?"

"Kendra, don't-" Warren started, but the dagger moved closer, pricking his skin.

"That's enough from you."

Tanu subtly shook his head at Kendra, she looked between Than, Liera, and Warren. A trail of blood was leaking from where the dagger was pricking Warren's neck, she couldn't let him die. Not after saving him from a sure death earlier.

"Do it now, or I'll kill him," Liera warned. With one last tearful glance towards Tanu and Warren, Kendra knelt down next to Than.

His eyes stared up at her, completly empty. Than didn't deserve this, he was such a kind man...they had only met him yesterday, he was only supposed to be their guide. None of this was fair.

"I'm so sorry," Kendra whispered, tears dropping from her eyes. She took a deep breath before plunging the knife into his chest.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Warren couldn't move, he couldn't do anything to help Kendra. He watched in horror as Liera used him to get her to carve out Than's heart. He watched in horror as Kendra was forced to use the hilt of the dagger to break Than's ribs. He could hear Kendra trying to choke down sobs, he couldn't imagine the pain she must be in, having to go through with such a gruesome task.

Between Liera's hold on his body, immobilizing not only him but Tanu as well, and the dagger pricking his neck, poised to rip into his throat at any second, he couldn't do anything but watch.

Finally, Kendra stood, legs shaking visibly. She held Than's heart in her hands. His own heart ached for her, what kind of sick, twisted, mind came up with this trap? She was so young, she didn't deserve to be forced into such horrible situations.

"Good girl," Liera praised as Kendra turned towards her, sending chills down Warren's spine with two simple words. "Now, eat it."

"There has to be another way!" Tanu protested instantly. Of course, Liera simply sent a dagger flying through the air to hold Tanu at knifepoint as well. Kendra's head followed the dagger, eyes wide and filled with tears. Her face was haunted and pale, Warren wanted to wrap her up in a hug and take her far away from here.

"Do you want your loved ones to die, little one? Or for your companions sacrifice to be in vain?" Liera asked Kendra, words dripping in false concern and innocence. "If you don't consume his heart, you and your friends will not only never get past me and claim your prize, but you will also die."

Kendra looked between Liera, Warren, and Tanu. This wasn't fair. God, this wasn't right. Something was off about this whole situation, it doesn't make sense.

"I-" she broke off as more tears fell down her face. She looked so lost, so young. Warren shared a pained glance at Tanu next to him, barely able to see the potions master but still able to recognize the same helpless look on Tanu's face that Warren was sure was on his.

"Come on, now. What is your choice, child? My patience is running thin," Liera examined her nails lazily. Warren felt rage burn through his veins, she wasn't giving Kendra a choice. There was no choice here, this was blackmail, she had Kendra cornered in the wickedest way.

Kendra's eye locked with his. Despite the dagger at his neck, Warren did his best to shake his head and mouthed the word 'don't' at her. She looked at him apologetically, glancing between him and Tanu before turning back towards Liera.

No.

She was going to do it.

To save them.

Warren wanted to scream, he wanted to draw his sword and fight Liera fair and square. But, before he could even blink, he could see Kendra raise the heart to her mouth. He saw Liera's eyes gleam in pleasure as she took a bite.

This was so fucked up.

For ten grueling minutes, Liera forced Kendra to eat the heart. When Tanu tried to convince Liera three minutes in that Kendra surely had done enough, Liera took away their ability to speak.

Six minutes in Kendra swayed dangerously before falling to her knees. Liera offered no mercy, only warning Kendra to not throw anything up or it wouldn't count.

Eight minutes in Warren was starting to entertain the idea that he was having a terrible, awful, nightmare. But the pain from the tip of the dagger in his neck told him otherwise.

He wanted to close his eyes, the only thing keeping him sane was the reassurance that once this was over, once they were out of danger, out of this cursed vault, he and Tanu could take Kendra and comfort her. Warren swore to himself that he and Tanu will do anything to help her through the mark this was going to leave on her.

Finally, Kendra's blood-stained hands were empty. She rose from her knees, her whole body shaking. "There. I did what you asked. Now let my friends go, and let us pass."

He could hear pure anger in Kendra's voice, but he could also hear the anguish, the slight tremor of her words.

With a smirk, Liera waved a hand lazily through the air. The daggers fell from the air and Warren sensed that he could move and speak again. "Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Warren had half a mind to charge the demon...the monster...the shapeshifter...the whatever in hell this woman was and kill her. But he knew he wouldn't even make it five steps. Instead, he had to Liera slink back into the shadows, disappearing from the room.

With the disappearance of Liera, a door appeared. Kendra bolted to it, throwing it open and running through it until she was out of sight. Warren and Tanu didn't waste another second before running after her.

The door lead to a typical treasure room, the whole room was gold, various artifacts, and jewels were strewn about. But Warren paid them no mind. He and Tanu scanned the room for Kendra, who couldn't be seen at first glance.

Then, Warren could see the tips of Kendra's white shoes peeking out from between a huge wardrobe and a silver statue of a human-sized warrior fairy. He nudged Tanu and jerked his head towards it.

"Kens? It's just us," Warren called softly before rounding the slight corner to find Kendra curled up with her head between her knees, shoulders shaking as she cried. Warren sank down to the ground as well, trying to choke down his own tears at the sight. "I...oh, honey I'm so sorry."

There was no space for Warren and Tanu to fit in between the wardrobe and the statue, so Warren reached in and pulled her out as gently as possible into a hug. Tanu joined him on the ground, wrapping his arms around the both of them.

For a minute, they just sat there holding each other. Tanu sniffed and Warren looked over to see that he was crying as well. Warren knew a few tears had slipped out of his own eyes but he made no move to wipe them away.

He didn't understand.

This wasn't right.

Finally, Kendra lifted her head from her knees. Her face was pale, streaked with tears, but what really stood out was the stain of red around her mouth. He could tell she had tried to wipe the blood off but couldn't quite get all of it.

"I wanna go home," she whispered. Warren nodded, he pressed a light kiss to her head as Tanu started rummaging in his bag.

"We're going to. I promise," he said back, just as softly. "We are going to find this amulet, and then we are going to head home. We'll book an overnight flight with through the Knights instead of waiting for our original flight tomorrow. Tanu and I will take care of everything, okay? We will be home before this time tomorrow."

Tanu pulled out a small cloth and wet it with water from one of their water bottles. He brushed Kendra's hair out of her face and got to work cleaning the blood off. His mouth was set in a hard line, eyes a storm of emotion. If Warren knew anything about Tanu, it was that the man had a bleeding heart and was equally upset about this whole situation.

As soon as the blood was gone from Kendra's face, Tanu pulled her into another hug. Warren stood and began searching for the amulet, letting Tanu comfort Kendra for the moment.

Luckily, he didn't have to search long before spotting the emerald green necklace hanging around the neck of a statue of some dwarf. He took it off of the statue and walked back over to Tanu and Kendra. After stowing the amulet away, he helped Kendra to her feet and lead her out of the treasure room behind Tanu.

Kendra insisted that they bring Than's body back. She felt that his corpse had been disrespected enough and that he deserved a proper burial. Warren couldn't agree more. Tanu took up the task of carrying Than's body out of the vault.

They were lucky that it seemed all traps had been disabled, the knives were nowhere to be seen even after waiting fifteen minutes to make sure they truly were gone. When they came upon the spot where they had all been transported into the vault, they suddenly found themselves beside the pond again.

The long walk back to the main house of the small preserve was silent. The stark difference between the light mood and laughter from the same walk they had taken this morning made Warren's head reel.

They presented Than's body to the caretaker, a kind woman named Bridget, explaining what happened. Bridget had been horrified to find out what the traps had contained, her eyes falling on Kendra filled with what Warren recognized as pity.

She helped them by preparing their flight for them and giving them something to eat. Despite his best efforts, Warren couldn't convince Kendra to eat a single bite. Tanu got her to drink some water but that was about it.

Two hours later, they were boarding Aaron Stone's jet and settling into the spacious seats, Kendra in between Tanu and himself.

A half an hour into the flight, Kendra turned to him. "Warren?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think the others are gonna think I'm evil or something?"

Warren tutted and placed an arm around her, careful not to hit a sleeping Tanu on the other side. "Absolutely not, where would you get that idea?"

"I ate a human heart, Warren," Kendra said. "What good person would do that?"

"You were forced to, Kendra. I was right there, I know what happened and I know that you would have never done that willingly. This wasn't your fault, you are not to blame. I promise."

Kendra simply leaned her head on his shoulder, remaining quiet for a few minutes. "I can't shake the feeling that something isn't right. That something is terribly wrong, that we are missing something huge."

Warren thought back to the vault, the phrase 'this isn't right' had kept running through his mind. He knew the feeling Kendra was talking about, he had his own suspicions before she had spoken up.

"I know, I feel the same. We will look into it when we get to Fablehaven, okay?"

"Okay."

With that she was silent for the rest of the flight, Warren periodically glanced down throughout the hour to see if she had fallen asleep, but each time her eyes were open, staring blankly ahead.

Questions raced through his mind, each with no answers. This was supposed to be a simple mission, where could it have gone so wrong? Why did the traps in that horrid vault go against everything he knew about magical vaults? Did Agad know those traps were going to be like that? How reliable was the tip he had received? Was the amulet worth what they had gone through?

One thing Warren knew for sure was that he wasn't sleeping tonight, and he had a feeling Kendra wouldn't either. Glancing at Tanu, still fast asleep, he made a mental note to ask the potions master to whip up a sleeping potion for Kendra.

She deserved to take a long rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to yell at me in the reviews or on tumblr...I regret nothing xoxo gossip girl


	4. You Can't Wake Up, This Is Not A Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some questions are answered, while new questions are raised.

_ "I researched the vault and amulet thoroughly, the amulet has proven to be real and I can not thank you enough for retrieving it," Agad sighed, "As for the vault, I've checked every possible lead that I have on it. Unfortunately, I have found no reason as to why it went against every rule I personally helped set up for these types of vaults."_

_Kendra couldn't help but feel disappointed as she slumped. She wanted a reason for the hell she and her friends went through, a reason why Than had to die._

_"I did not have a hand in making this vault, but I can only assume that ancient magic had a play in the making. Ancient magic is generally a very morally grey area that can be very taxing. I will keep my eyes and ears out for any sign of foul play at hand, but for now...there seems to be nothing bigger going on."_

_"Agad, I know this feeling in my gut, Kendra feels it too," Warren countered. "That can't be a coincidence, are we sure we aren't missing something. Because I feel we are."_

_"We very well might be. But for now, the only solution I can give is to try and heal from the ordeal. I cannot apologize enough for what you all went through, especially you Kendra, my dear. I am so sorry." _

The meeting with Agad had been two weeks ago. There was still no findings of a bigger plan, or any danger and Kendra felt frustrated. Was she going crazy?

She had begun to have nightmares. Scenes of blood, pooling around her where she couldn't escape, covering her. Pained screaming, the sound of torture, pain, and suffering that made her want to run and run and run. The scenes of people hanging from trees, lifeless eyes staring ahead. The face of a horrifying horned demon looming over her, a dark chuckle echoing. The voices beckoning her deep into the woods, whispers full of dark promises of power and prestige that drew at her soul.

Warren had to wake her from these nightmares a few times, today being one of them.

She jolted up, a scream caught in her throat as the shadowy world collapsed and a new shadow loomed over her. She cried out, hands thrown out, flailing against the arms that had a tight grip on her, but all she achieved was getting tangled in her blankets further.

She blinked the stars from her eyes, her sight was blurry, unfocused.

"Kendra, it's just me! Stop fighting, relax sweetheart, I'm not going to hurt you," the voice said in a soothing tone, she finally recognized it. Warren. "That's it, shh, it was just a dream."

Feeling too tired to fight, she relaxed into his arms, trying to calm her mind as she calmed her body. But, it proved to be an extremely hard task.

She couldn't breathe, she clutched at the fabric of Warren's shirt, the whispers echoed, she couldn't, how could, where, it was too hot, too enclosed, she needed, she needed air, it wasn't enough, she couldn't-

Seconds later she was sobbing in his arms, images of dripping blood and swinging bodies and ancient looming demons chased away by Warren running his hand up and down her back, by whispering assurances into her ear.

Once Warren had calmed Kendra down, they shuffled down to the kitchen despite the early hour in search of some hot chocolate. To their surprise, they found pretty much everyone up and sitting around the table, some toast and jam laying in front of them.

Everyone was there, including Bracken, who had been at the fairy realm for the past month and a half.

"Bracken! My man! You're back!" Warren greeted brightly.

"Apparently, you're the only two that didn't know," Bracken teased with an easy smile, getting up to hug them.

Kendra gave him a tired smile and hugged him back tightly, but she just couldn't find it in her to fake a smile as she pulled away. She was truly happy to see him, ecstatic even, but at the moment emotions were difficult to express, plus she was just plain exhausted. Of course, ever observant, Bracken took notice.

"Are you alright, Kendra?"

"Yeah, it's just been...things have been hard."

"Why is that?"

Silence reigned and Kendra could barely breathe at the pressure that filled the room, tension rising as everyone remained silent. Grandpa Sorenson finally sighed, a screech filling the room as he pushed his seat away from the table, and walked over to the coffee pot to refill his mug.

"You might want to sit down for this, son."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Warren and Tanu finished retelling the story, and Bracken remained silent, his face almost unreadable.

But Kendra could see the worry in the slight furrow of his brow, and the way his eyes seemed to dim.

"Bracken...what- what is it?" she asked, terrified to hear the response but at the same time desperate for answers to the questions running through her head since the ordeal in the vault.

His eyes finally locked with hers, the usually bright and mischevious glint in them gone and replaced by a guarded look that seemed impenetrable. Bracken took a deep breath. "Can you just confirm the sequence of events for me?"

Kendra nodded.

"You healed Warren from a fatal wound, carved out someone's heart and then consumed it?"

"Y-yes...but, I had no choice! Please don't think I'm evil...please," Kendra whispered, staring down at her hands, trying to will her tears away as the stinging grew stronger. She could barely breathe.

Immediately, protests filled the room, assurances filled with promises that she couldn't quite focus on as her focus remained entirely on Bracken, though she couldn't look to see the hate that would fill his gaze.

"Kendra...I would never think you are evil. This wasn't your fault, and I think you know that deep down." Bracken murmured. She risked a glance up at him and saw that he was looking at her with concern and pity in his eyes. Kendra looked away again, she didn't want to be seen as some sort of abandoned pet, kicked away and broken.

Vanessa spoke up then, voice unusually hesitant and soft. "What is it then, unicorn? I can see something is wrong with this, it's written all over your face."

All eyes turned to Bracken, awaiting his answer.

"I...I am ninety percent sure that those traps... that those traps weren't traps at all. The vault… it was a false vault, and...Kendra was tricked into... " He took a breath, " she was tricked into performing an ancient ritual."

Kendra felt her stomach drop, she felt sick. What... what could that mean? A ritual? Like what Muriel did? Whenever she thought of rituals, she always pictured dark magic and evil and demons rising and destroying her home.

What does this mean? What was going to happen to her?

"So...I performed a ritual...does that mean I… does that mean I'm evil? And I… I did what… I just- did I do something that makes me dark? Does this… does it ru- ruin my fairykind?"

Warren wrapped an arm around her, she could feel him protesting her words from the action, trying to reassure her. She appreciated the effort but her stomach didn't untie itself from the knot it'd become inside her.

"No, no of course not!" Bracken leaned forward earnestly, "Kendra, when you needed help from my mother to save Fablehaven from Bahumat all those years ago, you performed a ritual. It was an old ritual that infused the power of the queen into the fairies to make them full-sized fairies and- well uh then you called them to war to aid you in battle. That wasn't a dark ritual, it was one for empowerment and a call for aid."

She knew he wanted to reassure her, but her heart was still beating too fast, her stomach was still flipping more than a gymnast, and her hands still shaking uncontrollably.

"No offense, Bracken. But, this ritual you say Kendra did doesn't feel very much like light magic... at all," Warren pulled Kendra a little closer to him as Kendra curled in on herself. "Please, just tell us what this ritual means."

"Like I said it's ancient. It consists of committing three dark acts, each one worse than the last until you reach the final seal of the ritual, combining three extremely dark acts to bring forth...dark energies for lack of a better word." He grimaced his gaze dark.

"What exactly were these dark acts?" Tanu questioned with a deep frown.

"Well, first she resurrected Warren from the dead-"

"What?!" Vanessa cried out, eyes widening in shock.

Tanu paled. "He actually died?!"

Bracken held up his hands and the others quieted. Kendra couldn't believe it. Warren had died. She didn't want to think of what would have happened if he was gone. How her world would be turned upside down with no Warren, no singing along to the radio in ridiculous voices in the car, no cuddles when she felt sad, no one to help her through missions and protect her. A world without her cousin in it was not a world she wanted to live in.

"I suspect that Warren did indeed die, however briefly, before Kendra tried to heal him, being so successful that she resurrected him."

"How?! I mean no offense to you Kendra, dear, but there's no way she had that much power to do so. I mean, she's just starting out!" Grandma Sorenson had a pinched expression, horror building upon her face.

"Emotion can be a powerful energy source when using magic. The desperation to save Warren must have fed her magic so much that she was able to bring him back." Bracken lowered his gaze, a pain-filled expression hidden. "It is not unprecedented.

"I died? Jesus…" Warren pulled Kendra closer, she could all but feel the horror and relief that he felt.

"Oh God, I noticed that…" Kendra shuddered, "I felt my emotions feeding into my powers. I thought it meant I was actually healing him," she choked back a sob, "...but I was committing a dark act instead."

"There's no way you could've known, K." Dale murmured, eyes soft as he looked at her.

"Exactly, don't blame yourself for a second." Stan leaned forward, reaching over and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's not your fault."

"You were tricked, Kendra, backed into a corner, blackmailed. And then you were forced into carving out Than's heart and eating it. That was the final act. A sacrifice… A sacrifice and…" Bracken was visibly struggling, she could see an emotion, hard to place, somewhere between horror and pity. "And cannibalism."

She flinched a little at the word. Her body rejecting it, her stomach turning at the memory of the taste of blood. Kendra held back the whimper that tried to force its way out of her. What does this all mean?

Bracken took in a shaky breath, "It's magic so dark that it's rarely used and hasn't been practiced for centuries now."

The table fell silent. Warren's arm holding her tightly was the only thing that was grounding her. The only thing allowing her to pull breath in her lungs, to keep listening, keep existing.

"But...what about the pedestals?" she breathed.

"Gathering your own blood, using it to make it seem like you truly were the one performing the ritual."

The room was spinning, Warren's arm seemed like a weight on her.

"I feel like I'm going to pass out," she whispered, "what...what does it mean?"

Warren smoothed her hair down, but she couldn't...couldn't feel… it was just… too much, too little, she was drowning.

"What does this ritual do?" Grandma slid a glass to her, Warren pushed it into her hands, she couldn't lift it. "Am I possessed or something?"

"No, it...the ritual was...people partook in this ritual centuries ago in order," He sighed, "In order to turn themselves into witches."

"No! That's impossible!" Stan shot up, chair tumbling back, his face full of fear.

"Kendra is a witch now?! Do you know how utterly insane that sounds?!" Dale waved his hands as he spoke.

More and more protests came from her family and friends, insisting Bracken was wrong. But, deep down, Kendra felt truth to his words that chilled her to the bone. He was right.

Bracken ran a hand through his hair, looking pained and shaken. "I wish I could say I think different, but I can't deny the past history of this specific ritual and the implications it has."

"Is there a way to get an answer? So we can know for sure?" Tanu pulled Grandpa's chair back into place, gently pushing him down as he looked intently at Bracken.

"Funny you asked that because there is." Bracken gave a wane smile to Tanu, "There is a potion that will bring forth any mark on one's soul to show up on their body."

"Is it an easy potion to make?"

"Relatively."

"Then let's go make it! There's no time to waste." Tanu pushed his chair back and stood, determination in every line of his body.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kendra sat at the kitchen table, staring at the potion bottle in front of her. It was an innocent little thing, a dark turquoise liquid sitting in the clear vial. There was no sign that it could change her life so completely and yet, drinking this would somehow change everything. She was terrified to drink it, afraid of the answer, afraid of the truth that she somehow already knew.

"You ready?" Warren asked softly next to her. Kendra didn't think she was ever going to be ready, never going to be prepared for the changes happening, but she nodded anyway.

With a shaky hand, she picked up the potion, such an innocent thing, took a deep breath and tipped it into her mouth.

The silence that followed her swallowing was quiet, so quiet she could hear the clock ticking as seconds passed by. Everyone watched her intently, it put her on edge. How long would it take to kick in? What if-

Pain.

Blinding pain.

That's all she felt as left shoulder burned with pain so intense she thinks she could see fire if she looked. She cried out, clutching her back as tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over. Somehow just breathing hurt more, it wouldn't stop. The tears didn't help, pain burned across her back, radiating from the shoulder. She couldn't breathe. Bracken and Warren rushed over, from just a few steps away they were by her side immediately..

She pulled the back of her shirt down to expose three long slashes, looking exactly like claw marks. Horror filled her, warring with the pain. The thought tore at her, this was proof, Bracken was right.

She was a witch.

_ No. _

"It's the mark of Beelzebub. He is basically what most mortals view as the devil. He controls witches, grants them their dark powers." Brackens voice was emotionless, "When Kendra was tricked into completing the ritual, she set that energy in motion, making it known she wanted to become a witch, to serve him."

"I don't! I don't want to...to…" Her voice broke, it was too much, she couldn't do this.

"Shh, K, we know. We know," Warren hushed her, kissing the top of her head softly. The rest of the table had fallen silent. Even Vanessa was speechless.

"Sorry, bad choice of wording. But," He sighed, "Now he has a claim on your soul...and...and if you don't go through with signing your name in his book of souls, the book of witches, he can haunt your mind for all of eternity, no doubt it's already begun."

"I can't sign away my soul! I didn't want this, can't we reverse it?!" Kendra couldn't believe this was happening.

"I'm so sorry Kendra… I… the past has shown that it can't be done. But the longer we delay… the longer we delay the longer he'll hunt you. And if you don't go… He could come to you. He could try to lead you to darkness, to drag you if you won't go willingly."

"Then… how do we free me?"

"I don't know Kendra." He dropped his head, "I just don't know."

Kendra hid her face in Warren's chest, tears streaming down her face. She didn't want this. She never asked for this. How could this be happening? It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair.

What was she going to do?

_ This wasn't fair. _


	5. Help Me Hold On To You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conversations, decision making, and lots of feelings.

It was October 18th. 

Tomorrow was Kendra’s 16th birthday.

She should be excited. Sweet sixteen and all that cliche stuff. But, she just couldn’t. Her mind was filled with questions, what if’s and worries. Most of all, it was filled with:

What should she do?

Dale and her Grandparents urging her to wait, to tough it out, just a little while longer as they researched for a way out.

Vanessa, Tanu, and Bracken, telling her they were sure there was no way out and waiting will only prolong her suffering, she found herself torn between two choices. 

Warren had been adamant that he will agree with anything she chose, as always. So he was walking in the middle of the road. 

As for Seth, she had no idea. He had been fading in the background...which was out of character for him. He hadn’t said a word about everything that has happened. Most of the day he was out with Newel and Doren, showing up for dinner, then locking himself up in the attic.

It had been three days since Bracken revealed the horrifying truth to the vault. Three days since she was told that she was well on her way to becoming a witch. Three days of terrifying nightmares, countless questions, and enough tears to fill an ocean.

Kendra was reaching her breaking point, the nightmares have gotten so much worse. At times she swore she saw a shadow figure out of the corner of her eye, she heard whispers calling her name in the wind, and she found herself more drawn to the forest surrounding the yard as if someone was beckoning her into the shade of the trees.

It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together. If she didn’t sign her name in the book soon, things were going to get a whole lot worse.

Suddenly, there was a knock at her door. She looked over from her place in her reading nook by the window. Peeking his head through the door was Seth, another uncharacteristic thing for him to do since he usually would just barge right in.

“Hey, Kens...can I come in?”

“Sure.”

He did so, closing the door behind him and joining her at the reading nook. “How are you?”

“You mean besides me slowly going insane because I haven’t signed my soul away to become a full witch?”

“Yeah...about that...what are you going to do?”

Kendra didn’t answer for a moment. “I...I don’t know. I get why some people want me to wait, but deep down...I know there is no way out. I can just feel it. I’m cornered, again. It really feels like I have no choice but to sign my name and become a full-fledged witch...to become something dark.”

It was silent for a moment. Seth shuffled his feet back and forth before sitting down across from her and sighing. “I know I’ve been kinda silent on this whole thing, but...you know sometimes having dark powers isn’t all that bad. Look at me.”

With a light shock of realization, she remembered that he was a shadow charmer and shadow charmers did have a very dark background and Seth was inherently infused with dark magic.

“You’re right...I forgot shadow charmers were dark…”

“They’re literally called shadow charmers, K.”

“Leave me alone, I have a lot on my mind.”

Seth laughed a little and she couldn’t help but join in. It felt weird to be laughing. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed. Probably before entering the vault at Warren’s ridiculous story. 

“Anyway, yeah, you have dark magic. But, you have such a good heart it kinda makes me forget that your powers are dark. You’ve never used them for bad, only good. It just slipped my mind,” Kendra said. Seth snapped his fingers together in her face, making her flinch.

“Exactly! That’s why I think maybe, just maybe, you can sign your name, be a witch, but still be you! Maybe your fairykind powers will even help with that!” he exclaimed. His tone excited as if he had just struck knowledge gold.

Kendra averted her eyes. “I’m scared that if I sign my name, my fairykind powers will go away. I’m scared I’ll offend the Fairy Queen...that she will see it as a betrayal.”

“Have you tried talking to Bracken about it?”

“I’ve been avoiding him, to be honest.”

For the past three days, Kendra was dodging Bracken at every turn. If he was in a room she just entered, she would pretend she forgot something and not go back, if she bumped into him in the hallway, she would quickly go into the nearest room. Things like that. 

She was also ignoring the Fairy Queen, who had been sending signals to her mind to come meet her at her shrine. The feeling of welcome encompassing the invitations. But Kendra was too afraid to face her, too afraid to tell her what had happened. 

“Why?” Seth’s question knocked her right out of her thoughts. 

“I just...what if he thinks differently of me now that I’m on my way to becoming a witch?” Kendra sighed. “How is he going to see me when I eventually sign my name?”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Excuse me?”

Seth scoffed. “Give the guy some credit, Kens. He’s best friends with a shadow charmer, and just yesterday I saw him playing a card game with Vanessa, a blix, like his kind’s sworn enemy or something!”

“I guess,” she mumbled. Seth did have a point. But Kendra still couldn’t shake the feeling of anxiety that came with finally talking to Bracken one on one.

“Anyway, if you want my opinion, top-secret, I think it would be cool to have a sister who’s a witch. Plus, what if you become all powerful and stuff! It could be beneficial!”

Kendra winced. “Whoever is out there, whoever planned all this...they wanted to turn me into a witch for a reason. That’s another reason why I’m hesitant to sign my name, what will happen next? Who are we dealing with?”

“I wish I had the answers...I would have beat those guys up by now…” Seth muttered. After a moment he slapped his hands on his thighs and stood. “Well, you should make a decision quick. From the sound of your screaming at night, the nightmares are getting worse. Who knows what else could happen to make your life a living hell?”

Kendra immediately thought of the whispers that she had been hearing that she had yet to tell anyone about. “

“Yeah…”  
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kendra bit her lip as she stared at the door in front of her. She took a deep breath before raising a hand and knocking twice.

“Yes?” a familiar accented voice came from inside the room.

“Hey...it’s Kendra. Can I come in?”

The door opened, revealing Bracken’s smiling face. “Of course you can, what did you think I would say no?”

He stepped aside, allowing Kendra to walk past him and into his room, Bracken shut the door behind her. His room was pretty simple, only a few personal details were seen here and there. His stays did tend to be short so she could see why.

“I don’t know, maybe you don’t want soon to be witches in your room,” Kendra tried to sound casual, but even she could hear the hints of worry in her voice.

Bracken paused, leveling a curious look at her, eyebrow raised. “Is that why you’ve been avoiding me for the past three days?”

She felt like a kid caught stealing from a cookie jar or something. His tone was light and teasing but guilt still made her stomach tie itself into a tight knot. She sighed and sat on the edge of his bed, while Bracken hopped up onto his desk right next to the bed, choosing to sit there as if there wasn’t a perfectly good chair tucked under the desk. 

“Sorry, I just...I can’t help but wonder how all this dark magic stuff is going to affect me being fairykind. I’m worried about how your mother will feel when I sign my name in the book. Will she feel like I betrayed her by meddling in dark magics? Will she think differently of me? Will-”

“Kendra, Kendra, take a breath,” Bracken soothed, his eyes looked into hers and to her relief, she saw nothing but kindness and understanding in them. Maybe a little worry, too. “First of all, I take it you made the decision to sign your name?”

“I don’t think I have a choice. I can’t really explain it, but I can just feel it. Does that even make any sense?” she asked, hoping he understood what she was trying to say. 

“It makes perfect sense. Second of all, I guess I now know the answer why you have been purposefully ignoring her calls for you to visit her at the shrine.”

His voice held no judgment or even a hint of anger, but she still couldn’t help feeling like a child being scolded. Although, it was more her own feelings of guilt and her constant fear of disappointing people that fanned that flame.

Kendra lowered her eyes, staring at her hands in her lap. “I’m sorry...I just couldn’t face her. I was too scared.”

Bracken reached over and took Kendra’s hand in his, squeezing it lightly. “Kendra, I assure you there is nothing to be scared about when it comes to my mother. She adores you.”  
He let her hand go and sat up straight again. While she knew that it would be physically uncomfortable for him to remain holding her hand due to the distance between them, she missed the comfort of his hand in hers.

“Yeah, but how much longer will that last?” she whispered, eyes falling back down to her lap. She heard Bracken sigh but was too afraid to even glance up to see what emotion was on his face. 

“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you to make you see that my mother will always adore you. She respects you so much, Kens,” his voice was soft and soothing, relaxing her a little. “Just so you know, I already told my mother what has happened and she is furious-”

Kendra’s heart sank to the very bottom of her stomach in record timing. “Oh, God.”

“Hey, hey, let me finish. She’s furious, but not at you. Never at you. She is furious because someone tricked you into executing the ritual, because you were blackmailed by threatening the lives of your loved ones, because you were backed into a corner with no way out. Kendra, she understands.”

She finally gathered her courage to look back up at Bracken. He was looking at her with a concerned gaze, and his eyes were still impossibly soft. He gave her a small smile, one that she wanted to return but she still had so many doubts and questions running around her mind.

“Will she still understand when I sign my soul away?” she asked, genuinely not sure of the answer.

Bracken leaned back on his hands. “Wanna know a secret?”

Kendra nodded.

“You aren’t really signing your soul away, it’s more like a figure of speech Beelzebub uses to make it seem like he has more power over his witches than he actually does.”

“Wait, really?”

“Mmhmm. To answer your question though, my mother encourages you to sign. She doesn’t want you to suffer for any longer than you need to, especially when she knows there’s no way around this,” he said, although it was basically the same thing that Vanessa, Tanu, and Bracken himself had been saying to her, knowing the Fairy Queen agreed made Kendra feel a bit better.

“...Oh.”

Bracken chuckled, “You would have known this had you answered her calls to visit her shrine, silly.”

His teasing made her smile a bit, her heart felt a little lighter...but there was still another question she needed the answer to. 

“And...how about you?” she asked, her heart sped up a little as she looked him in the eye.

Bracken’s eyebrows furrowed. “What about me?”

“Do you...feel the same?”

There was a hidden meaning to her question, one could take is as Kendra asking if he felt the same way as his mother. But she already knew he did. What she was really asking was, does he still feel the same about her.

“You mean, do I think less of you or has my affection for you dwindled?” He asked in a tone that suggested he already knew the answer. She could always trust him to pick up what she really meant, after all, he was one of the people in her life that she felt truly understood her.

“Yeah...with less fancy words,” she couldn’t help but tease him on his tendency to use more regal language. He was a prince after all.

Bracken grinned. “Fancy words are who I am, Kendra.”

“I can hear that.”

Bracken’s grin turned into laughter, and she found herself smiling at the sound. Once his laughter had ceased, he looked at her with an emotion she couldn’t quite place. 

“The answer to your question is no, by the way. Not even a smidge. Do I worry about you? Do I hate that you’ve been placed in this position and wish these events had never taken place? Absolutely,” he paused, taking a deep breath and looking down for a moment. When he looked back up, his eyes were warm but she could also see the hint of sadness in them. “But does this affect how I see you? No.”

Kendra felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. This didn’t completely unburden her, but it did comfort her. She didn’t know what to say really, she was relieved to hear that the Fairy Queen still thought highly of her, and more than relieved to hear Bracken’s feelings towards her hadn’t changed. But just then something pulled at her heart, the sting of tears were felt and she could feel herself getting choked up.

“Bracken, I-” she pressed her lips together and shut her eyes tight when a whimper threatened to escape her. “I’m scared.”

Her whisper seemed like a scream in the silent room. She heard Bracken sigh softly, then after a moment, she felt the bed dip as he sat down next to her. When a tear leaked out of the corner of her eye, Bracken brushed it away gently.

“Kendra, look at me.”

After taking a shaky breath, she opened her eyes and turned her head to see him staring at her, his eyes sad and full of worry. She almost lost it at the sight.

“I promise that I will do everything I can to make this as easy as possible. I also promise that I won’t let anyone, or anything, hurt you if I can help it. I’m not perfect, but I want you to know that I will do my best to keep you safe and unharmed.”

Between the conviction in which he spoke, and the emotion in his voice, Kendra felt her resolve break, as more tears fell from her eyes and she bit her tongue to keep from sobbing. “I know...but I’m more scared of what this is going to do to me. I don’t want to become something I’m not. I don’t want to turn evil, Bracken. I-”

A whimper finally escaped her control and that was all it took before she completely broke down. Bracken immediately pulled her into his arms, wrapping her up in a tight embrace.

“Shh, you won’t turn evil Kendra. There isn’t an evil bone in your body. They can infuse you with dark magic but they cannot corrupt your identity, who you truly are,” he hushed her, running a gentle hand up and down her back. “And who you truly are Kens, is kind, honest, loving, and pure-hearted. You are so full of light, and I’m not talking about the fairykind light you nearly blinded me with. You have a heart of gold and I promise you, you will not turn evil, okay?”

They stayed like that for a while longer, Bracken whispering assurances to her, and Kendra just trying to calm down. Eventually, she was no longer crying, but she didn’t want to let him go. At the moment, she felt safe. Protected.

Plus, even if they weren’t dating, she still had feelings for him and being wrapped up in his arms felt nice. While she was glad they had decided to wait before acting on their feelings for each other, sometimes little moments of affection like this would happen. Kisses on cheeks, hugs, even cuddling when either of them were sad. 

It wasn’t like they could just turn off their feelings for each other, so why should they refrain from small things like this. They could still remain platonic and both of them knew where the line was drawn. 

“Kendra?” Bracken's soft voice broke her out of her thoughts. “What are you thinking about?”

“You’re my best friend, you know?”

“Don’t let Warren hear you say that.”

“You and Warren are tied,” Kendra laughed, practically hearing her cousin’s pretend offended protests if he heard her say anyone but him was her best friend.

Bracken laughed a little, slightly jostling Kendra’s head from its place on his shoulder. Not that she minded in the slightest. “Hey, Kens?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re my best friend as well,” he said, voice soft. A comfortable silence fell between them for another minute before he spoke again. “How are you?”

Reluctantly, she pulled away. “I’m not sure. I’m feeling better, that’s for certain. But…”

“But there’s still a lot more to deal with than how me and my mother feel about you, huh?”

“Yeah…” she took a deep breath. “I think I’ve made my decision, though.”

Bracken tilted his head in question. 

“Tomorrow, on my 16th birthday, I’m going to sign my name in the book of souls. I can’t wait any longer.” 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Warren sat on his bed, reading a book that detailed the history of rituals and witches. But honestly, he couldn’t even say he was reading. His mind was elsewhere. 

The past three nights had been horrible. Every night, he would awake to the sound of Kendra’s terrified, heart-wrenching screams from her room that was next to his. He would practically jump out of bed and run to her room, wake her up, and hold her as she cried her eyes out.  
Each night was worse than the last. The amount of time it took to calm her down was increasing, and Kendra’s eyes were growing more and more haunted. Worst of all, Warren couldn’t do anything. 

He shook his head, shut the book, and tossed it to the foot of his bed. 

Just then, a soft knock sounded from his door. 

“Come in!” he called, wondering who could be knocking at his door at 11:30 at night. To his surprise, it was Kendra. “Hey, kid. Why are you up so late?”

“I was talking to Bracken in his room,” she answered as she shut the door behind her. 

“Oh, were you now?” Warren teased, raising his eyebrows. 

Kendra shook her head “It wasn’t like that, I’ve told you. We’re just friends, okay?”

“For now,” he chuckled. Kendra chose to ignore him and crawled into his bed, flopping down beside where he was sitting. “What’s up, chica? You need to talk?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I’ve made my decision, Warr.”

Immediately, he knew this wasn’t going to be a quick, casual talk. If he was being honest, he could put two and two together and figure out what option she had chosen, but he wanted to hear it from her.

“What did you choose?”

“I’m signing my name in the book of souls, tomorrow.”

“On your birthday?”

“Yes.”

Warren frowned. “Why don’t you wait just one more day? You could use a day of celebration, Kens. It is your sweet sixteen and all that.”

Kendra’s lip trembled for a quick moment before she controlled it. “I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it, Warren. Between the nightmares and the anticipation of what will happen...the not knowing...I just want to get it over with. Besides, who cares about turning sixteen when you’re about to be turning into a witch against your own will, right?”

He could tell she had tried to say the last sentence as a joke, but the waver in her voice made it sound more bitter than anything. 

“Oh, sweetheart...come here,” he sighed, holding out his arms. Kendra didn’t hesitate and crawled up and collapsed in his arms. 

To her credit, she didn’t cry. At least not at first. For a few minutes, he just held her, trying to wrap his mind around this whole situation. He had tried about a million times the past three days and this attempt failed as well. 

“This isn’t fair, Warr,” Kendra whimpered, the tears he had noticed her fighting back falling at last. “I never asked for this. I never wanted this. Why is there no way out? It isn’t right.”

“I know…” he whispered. His entire being hurt for his little cousin. Her right to choose had been stolen from her. Ripped away before she even knew what was happening. “I wish I could do more to help, K.”

Kendra snuggled in closer to him and hid her face in his chest. Warren ran a hand through her hair, trying his best to keep his own composure at the sound of her muffled cries. He wished he could take her place. He wished he could snap his fingers and make it all better. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t do anything but hold her close and comfort her.

At least he was good at that.

“You’re gonna get through this, Kendra. I promise. You are so unbelievably strong, seriously, you are the strongest person I know. Not kidding in the slightest,” he murmured into her hair, kissing the top of her head every now and then. 

After a few minutes, Kendra lifted her head and looked up at him. Her eyes were so sad and filled with pain that it felt like someone had ripped his heart out. “Warren?”

“Yeah?”

“Will you still love me even when I’m a witch?”

Warren changed his mind, his heart hadn’t been ripped out just yet, because it had just shattered like glass inside his chest. “Kendra, you aren’t seriously asking that, right? You’re kidding, right?”

“I-I’m not kidding. If you wouldn’t I won’t blame you, our past experiences with witches aren’t that great and I know everyone keeps telling me that I’ll still be me but...what if I’m not? What if I do turn darker? Maybe I won’t be evil, but what if I-”

Warren cut her off by gently pulling her head back down to rest on his chest. “Shut up right now Kendra Marie Sorenson. And I say that lovingly. I will _never_ not love you do you hear me? You are my little cousin, my partner in crime on missions, my favorite baking assistant, and my best friend. I will never stop loving you.”

A tear fell from his eye but he quickly wiped it away. “Nothing will change my mind. I don’t care if you’re a human, or fairykind, or even a witch. I don’t care if there is some bastard out there orchestrating this all to make you evil and is probably hoping your family turns on you. Okay? I don’t care about any of that. I love you, honey. No amount of stupid dark magic will change that.”

Kendra lifted her head again, looking like she was one hair away from breaking down again. “Promise?”

“Pinky promise.”

He held up his left pinky, smiling when Kendra hooked her right one with it. She returned his smile with one of her own before laying her head back down. He let go of her pinky in exchange for holding her whole hand. 

“Can I sleep here tonight?” she asked suddenly, her voice small. 

Warren used his other hand to brush some of her hair out of her face. “Of course, you know you’re always welcome to sleepover in my room. Next time we can braid each other's hair, how about that?”

That earned him a giggle. He was too lazy to get up and pull the comforter back and get back in, plus he didn’t want to make Kendra get up either, so he reached for the throw blanket he kept behind his pillows and tossed it over them. Then he

As he settled into a more comfortable position, the glowing clock on the nightstand got his attention. It was midnight.

“Hey, Kens,” he whispered. She hummed in response, sound half asleep already. “It’s midnight.”

“It is?”

“Yeah, happy sixteenth birthday, honey,” he said softly, pulling her close and kissing her forehead. He felt her breathing even out a minute or two later as she fell asleep.

Warren couldn’t lie, he was terrified of what would happen tomorrow...or later today, he guessed. The whole thing about Kendra signing her name in the book of souls made his skin crawl. It didn’t sound like a pleasant experience. Nor did it sound like it was as simple as picking up a pen and writing her name down as if she was simply signing a letter to a friend.

Could they go with her when she went? Where would this take place anyway? Was there a specific time? Did they need to do anything before? This all started with a ritual so he could only guess there had to be some sort of way of doing things.

His mind was racing far too fast with far too many questions for how tired he was. He shook his head, trying to clear it. No matter what, he would be there for Kendra. That much he knew. That much he could promise. He could do that, he could. Nothing would stop him from being there for his little cousin. Not a person, not a creature, not even the weather.

As for Kendra, he truly believed what he had told her. She would get through this. She was brave, strong, and had a whole family waiting behind her if she fell. 

Warren just hoped Kendra knew that as well.


End file.
